L to R: Hustle Hard, Power Of The Empire, War Of The Roses
This minis set will retail for $24.
Are you a fan of Empire? Let me know if it's worth sinking some time into and be sure to tell me what you think of this collab too! :)
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Deborah Lippmann x Empire Preview
The Fox show Empire is arguably the hottest thing on TV right now. I've been meaning to check out the show on Hulu myself, but I always see it buzzed about on social media. The show's slick sense of style and glamour would seem to make it an easy fit for a beauty collaboration and Deborah Lippmann is no stranger to those, having teamed up with the HBO shows True Blood and Girls in the past. Well, now you can add Empire to that list, as DL is gifting us a new trio of shades that will be available later this month!
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Twinsie Tuesday: China Glaze Velvet Bow
We're doing nails inspired by our favorite movie this week! I dunno if I have a single all-time favorite, but if we're talking movies I love, Pulp Fiction is certainly up there.
In addition to being an awesome movie, Pulp Fiction also has an interesting place in nail polish history. The polish Uma Thurman wears in the movie, Chanel Vamp, was widely featured and discussed in beauty magazines. Vamp's rich, chocolate-y shade of burgundy was a trendsetting color at the time and perfectly fit the edgy style of Uma's character in the film, which was a huge hit. As a result, Vamp became an instant sellout and highly sought after by polish aficionados.
Vamp still exists in Chanel's polish line-up today, although the color itself has changed to include shimmer. (The classic Vamp color is now called Rouge Noir.) But I've got a good dupe for the original Vamp in China Glaze Velvet Bow, which was part of a Christmas collection a few years back.
The formula is a little sheer for such a dark color. I needed three coats for total opacity. This is a color where you want to be careful with your edges, because cleaning dark red out of your cuticles is a bitch and a half.
So yeah, nothing super fancy from me this week, but hopefully you enjoyed this little look back at polish history! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else did this week--and hopefully I'll get some good film recommendations in the process!
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In addition to being an awesome movie, Pulp Fiction also has an interesting place in nail polish history. The polish Uma Thurman wears in the movie, Chanel Vamp, was widely featured and discussed in beauty magazines. Vamp's rich, chocolate-y shade of burgundy was a trendsetting color at the time and perfectly fit the edgy style of Uma's character in the film, which was a huge hit. As a result, Vamp became an instant sellout and highly sought after by polish aficionados.
Vamp still exists in Chanel's polish line-up today, although the color itself has changed to include shimmer. (The classic Vamp color is now called Rouge Noir.) But I've got a good dupe for the original Vamp in China Glaze Velvet Bow, which was part of a Christmas collection a few years back.
The formula is a little sheer for such a dark color. I needed three coats for total opacity. This is a color where you want to be careful with your edges, because cleaning dark red out of your cuticles is a bitch and a half.
So yeah, nothing super fancy from me this week, but hopefully you enjoyed this little look back at polish history! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else did this week--and hopefully I'll get some good film recommendations in the process!
Tiffany at Polished To Precision
Steph at Lovestruck Lacquer
Sharon at Behind Green Eyes
Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Sarah at Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer
Sara at The Call of Beauty
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Megan at A Beauty in the Business
Marisa at Polish Those Nails
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer
Claire at Kerruticles
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Bridget at A Painted Nail
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Amanda at Fashion Footing
Amanda at Amandalandish
Alice at Nail Art in Wonderland
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Friday, October 30, 2015
Halloween Nails With Lumina Lacquer Mick Or Treat
I didn't pick up any new Halloween polishes this year, so I decided to wear an old favorite: Lumina Lacquer Mick or Treat! It's a super fun glitterbomb with fall-colored glitters--think red, grey, orange, black and yellow--in all shapes and sizes. You've got hexes, squares, stars, circles, crescent moons and, the extra special cherry on top: Mickey Mouse-shaped glitters!
I wore Mick Or Treat over a deep burgundy in my original review, so this time I used OPI Take The Stage for my base. Above is one coat of Mick Or Treat. You have to really fish for the Mickey glitters (I only got one with this mani), but they are worth it!
Mick Or Treat was limited edition, so unfortunately it's no longer available. Lumina in general doesn't seem to produce new collections anymore. They were one of my favorite indie brands and I really miss having new Lumina's to look forward to!
I wore Mick Or Treat over a deep burgundy in my original review, so this time I used OPI Take The Stage for my base. Above is one coat of Mick Or Treat. You have to really fish for the Mickey glitters (I only got one with this mani), but they are worth it!
Mick Or Treat was limited edition, so unfortunately it's no longer available. Lumina in general doesn't seem to produce new collections anymore. They were one of my favorite indie brands and I really miss having new Lumina's to look forward to!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Twinsie Tuesday: OPI Take The Stage
Hey guys! Sorry for the late post today. As you might have noticed, I must confess that it's been a struggle to fit in time with my blog lately. But I'm trying! So thank you for keeping with me!
I didn't want to miss Twinsie Tuesday, so I whipped up a little something for this week's theme, which was to do a season-inspired mani. For me, fall brings to mind rich shades of red and orange and burnished metallics. OPI Take The Stage, an orange-tinged bronze, incorporates a little bit of both. Bronze is my favorite nail color to wear in fall. It just makes me want to curl up in a warm blanket with a hot drink and a candle. :)
If you like the look of Take The Stage, you can still find it for retail pricing on Ebay. This was like the second or third OPI I owned. I remember buying it in a duo pack with Extra-va-va-ganza. This was back in 2010--Take The Stage was part of the Burlesque Collection--but it seems so much longer ago than that!
I didn't want to miss Twinsie Tuesday, so I whipped up a little something for this week's theme, which was to do a season-inspired mani. For me, fall brings to mind rich shades of red and orange and burnished metallics. OPI Take The Stage, an orange-tinged bronze, incorporates a little bit of both. Bronze is my favorite nail color to wear in fall. It just makes me want to curl up in a warm blanket with a hot drink and a candle. :)
If you like the look of Take The Stage, you can still find it for retail pricing on Ebay. This was like the second or third OPI I owned. I remember buying it in a duo pack with Extra-va-va-ganza. This was back in 2010--Take The Stage was part of the Burlesque Collection--but it seems so much longer ago than that!
Alaina at The Little Canvas
Alice at Nail Art in Wonderland
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amanda at Fashion Footing
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Bridget at A Painted Nail
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Claire at Kerruticles
Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Marisa at Polish Those Nails
Megan at A Beauty in the Business
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Sara at The
Call of Beauty
Sarah at Cloudy with a
Chance of Lacquer
Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Sharon at Behind Green Eyes
Steph at Lovestruck Lacquer
Tiffany at Polished To Precision
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Zoya Savita
Savita is one of the most beloved of Zoya's Matte Velvet shades. This rich, regal purple satin is definitely one of my favorites! I love the color itself and the shimmer is to die for. There's just the right amount!
Something happened when I was painting with Savita that I've never experienced with a nail polish before. It smelled. And not just a strong nail polish/chemical smell, but almost...skunky or sour? I really can't describe it, but it was weird. It was noticeable until the polish dried, then after that I couldn't smell it. But it was such a random irregularity that I thought it was worth mentioning.
Other than some stank, Savita had a nice enough formula. Like a lot of mattes, you have to watch your brushstrokes so you don't wind up with lines, but the opacity and consistency are both great. What you see above is two coats.
What's your favorite Matte Velvet? And have you ever had an especially smelly polish? I'm curious if I'm the only one!
Something happened when I was painting with Savita that I've never experienced with a nail polish before. It smelled. And not just a strong nail polish/chemical smell, but almost...skunky or sour? I really can't describe it, but it was weird. It was noticeable until the polish dried, then after that I couldn't smell it. But it was such a random irregularity that I thought it was worth mentioning.
Other than some stank, Savita had a nice enough formula. Like a lot of mattes, you have to watch your brushstrokes so you don't wind up with lines, but the opacity and consistency are both great. What you see above is two coats.
What's your favorite Matte Velvet? And have you ever had an especially smelly polish? I'm curious if I'm the only one!
Friday, October 23, 2015
a-England Gloriana
A-England Gloriana is a warm-toned red foil with bright gold flakes. This came out in last year's Elizabeth & Mary Collection, inspired by Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary of England's Tudor Dynasty. A-England is one of those brands that I wouldn't feel foolish owning every polish they've ever made. I love the colors themselves and you can really feel the amount of care and thought put into each shade.
The burnished red base of Gloriana is stunning enough in its own right, but when you add on those gleaming bits of gold, then you've got something really special! The flakes are nice and prominent too--no shifting to just the right angle or squinting to see them.
As always with a-England, the formula here is buttery smooth and richly opaque. I used two coats for this mani.
Gloriana is an absolutely perfect fall color and captures its inspiration so well. When you think of Elizabeth, aren't her firey red hair and golden jewels the first two things that come to mind? I trimmed my nails yesterday and I think I accidentaly went too far into nubbins territory, but Gloriana does make them feel a lot more elegant. :)
The burnished red base of Gloriana is stunning enough in its own right, but when you add on those gleaming bits of gold, then you've got something really special! The flakes are nice and prominent too--no shifting to just the right angle or squinting to see them.
As always with a-England, the formula here is buttery smooth and richly opaque. I used two coats for this mani.
Gloriana is an absolutely perfect fall color and captures its inspiration so well. When you think of Elizabeth, aren't her firey red hair and golden jewels the first two things that come to mind? I trimmed my nails yesterday and I think I accidentaly went too far into nubbins territory, but Gloriana does make them feel a lot more elegant. :)
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Twinsie Tuesday: Ruffian Manicure
We're doing ruffian manis this week! I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd try something a little different this time. I've got these plain black Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail wraps that I haven't known what to do with. Unfortunately I no longer have the original packaging so I don't know what this design is called. I got these in a set from Target a long time ago and these are the only ones from the set I still have left, because honestly, I don't quite get the point of plain nail wraps. I like wearing them for the fun and intricate designs. If I wanted black, I'd wear black polish, ya know?
But I digress. My point is, i figured now was as good a time as any to use these wraps. I layered them over a base of Orly Key Lime Twist, a neon highlighter yellow, to create the ruffian design. The wraps had dried up a bit, so they were more stuff and brittle than usual, but they still got the job done!
I always love a good pop of neon! The nail wraps made it easy to get a smooth, even curve. I think it'd be a lot of fun to do this same concept with one of the fancier Salon Effects too.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out my Twinsies too!
But I digress. My point is, i figured now was as good a time as any to use these wraps. I layered them over a base of Orly Key Lime Twist, a neon highlighter yellow, to create the ruffian design. The wraps had dried up a bit, so they were more stuff and brittle than usual, but they still got the job done!
I always love a good pop of neon! The nail wraps made it easy to get a smooth, even curve. I think it'd be a lot of fun to do this same concept with one of the fancier Salon Effects too.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out my Twinsies too!
Tiffany at Polished To Precision
Steph at Lovestruck Lacquer
Sharon at Behind Green Eyes
Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Sarah at Cloudy with a Chance of Lacquer
Sara at The Call of Beauty
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Megan at A Beauty in the Business
Marisa at Polish Those Nails
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer
Claire at Kerruticles
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
Bridget at A Painted Nail
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Amanda at Fashion Footing
Amanda at Amandalandish
Alice at Nail Art in Wonderland
Alaina at The Little Canvas
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